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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Never To Be Forgotten

Never To Be
Forgotten

Mambirri

Experiences, whether joyful or miserable, worthy or wicked, all
add to the development and evolution of our being and shape the people we are,
and the individuals we either become or strive to develop into.

This statement may seem somewhat out of place on
a blog site that has been fashioned to focus on the memories of a life spent
traveling Southern Africa and working in various nationally treasured
wilderness areas, but there have been certain notable occurrences that cannot
be omitted from the archives of my memory. However painful the emotions may
have been, they need to find a place in the recorded memoirs that find life
through the written word here on Rudi Hulshof’s Classic Africa.

I recently sounded the death knell of a Blog that I created
almost 4 years ago, which focused almost exclusively on Wildlife Photography.
There was the odd article that was posted that was divergent, and would shed
light on more diverse subject matter, such as unforgettable experiences,
uncommon and unusual sightings, and career updates.

Of all the posts that I deleted, one could simply not be
erased by the modest click of a mouse button, as it carried with it too much
importance in my life. A lesson in perseverance, one which showed me that
through sheer determination, and the predisposition to survive; we can overcome
impediments that manifest themselves on our path through life.

The time tense may not be correct, as this story was written
over 2 years ago. I have decided that the Tribute Piece was packed with raw
emotions, and thus should be posted, as it was written at that particular time:

A
Tribute to Mambirri – Your Rest Is Well Deserved

There is the inevitable sorrow that will forever be
associated with the loss of an animal that has become familiar to rangers,
guests, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts worldwide. In the Western
Sector of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, we feel this emotion at present, due to
the loss of a true little lady leopard that perished earlier this week.

Mambirri, (Translated to – Two from the Shangaan language spoken by the local Tsonga tribe)
named so because of her 2 spot identification marks above each whisker line,
was a leopard that called the area already mentioned above: home for a period
of about 10 years.

Born in 2002 to Makwela, and fathered by the Wallingford
male, she was part of a litter of 3 females that all survived and matured to
independence, early in 2004. It was at this stage that this leopard became my
favourite because of her remarkable resilience, and her will and fight for her very
existence.

Makwela - Mambirri's Mother

Wallingford - Mambirri's Father

I cannot recall the exact dates, but around the time of her
independence, Mambirri was ambushed by a powerful lion pride at an area
littered with large rock-strewn boulders. She was surprised and caught unexpectedly,
and given a serious beating by the lions, in an attempt to eliminate her, a
carnivore, as competition for the same food source. She was left torn to
shreds, and unable to move on all four legs, persistently staggering around on
three paws. How she managed to survive from clutches of the lions remains a
mystery till today.

For a few weeks, we agonised as we saw her losing condition
rapidly, due to a cigar sized hole bitten completely through her front right
paw. Soon, we did not see her at all anymore.

The “way of the wild” was what everyone declared, and we
made peace with the fact that she had either died of starvation, or that she
had been killed by larger predators, some of whom were already responsible for
her advanced weakened state, from where survival was next to impossible.

Mambirri had all but disappeared from everyone’s thoughts,
when on a particularly scorching day, 8 months after her disappearance, a
leopard was located deep in the southern parts of the traversing area, feeding
on a Duiker that had been hoisted into the upper branches of an Apple-leaf Tree.
Much debate followed about the “new” leopard in the area on the radio
frequencies, until we could get a clear view of her identifying spot pattern,
and the healed front right paw, that still showed the distinctive scar from her
lion bite. This Leopard could jubilantly be positively identified as Mambirri.

Mambirri

She was slightly more nervous than before, an expected
behavioural trait after not being exposed to Safari Vehicles for many months. But,
after a few weeks she had started to relax, and became habituated to her audience’s
presence in the Land Rovers, to the point where she would practically brush
past the cars on her travels around her newly established territory.

Her unending discomfort and agony was noticeable as she strode
with a limp for a few years, before normality returned to her gait for periods
of time. Every winter though, we would see her stiffen up, and the strain
return, and with it her limp would be aggravated. Her front paw had clearly
healed to the point of being able to function and survive, but would never be
the same as before. She would have weakness associated with it for the rest of
her life. Mambirri had lasted and endured, by scavenging, and hunting the
smallest of prey items; mongoose, monkeys, rats, birds, etc, until she was
again strong enough to focus her intent on large prey items. What a fighter,
never giving up!

Her growth had undoubtedly been stunted, due to the absence of
any substantial nutrition during her time spent away from human exposure, and
her development, and ability to reproduce was questioned. Was she going to be
the last of her blood line? Regardless, the rangers were all delighted to again
be able to view one of the most unperturbed, relaxed, and discussed leopards in
the Sabi Sands Game Reserve at that stage.

Skipping forward a few years, Mambirri successfully raised 2
separate litters of cubs, which respectively resulted in her 2 mature independent
adult female daughters establishing their own territories. In managing this
feat, against all odds, she ensured that her legacy lived on.

It was about a month and a half ago that Mambirri was observed
mating with the Kashane Male Leopard. These two honeymooners vanished for a
while, moving into territory that our rangers are not permitted to drive
through. We were getting reports from the neighbouring lodges who were seeing
them and following the antics, and a week later a skinny, ravenous Mambirri was
found again, within our traversing boundaries, after completing her marathon
bout of coupling with Kashane.

She had started to devote time, in an effort to establish a
new territory, to the range left unoccupied after the untimely death of
Makubela Female Leopard in July, and appeared to have bestowed her old
territory upon her newly independent daughter Nthlangisa.

Nthlangisa - Mambirri's youngest and last daughter who has recently been seen lactating

Mambirri’s condition was getting rather desperate because of
the prolonged period without a substantial meal. Her starvation and hunger
reached new levels of desperation, when she was observed diving head first into
a lake, in an attempt to catch a Nile Monitor that was swimming past, something
rather out of character for a normally water weary beast. This was unsuccessful
though, and the lodge staff were again on edge to see how, not if, she would manage
to survive her newest challenge.

Her dire situation prompted her to take a risk and attempt
to catch a warthog in front of Idube Private Game Reserve where I was based.

Sitting in the office I heard the squeals of a distressed
animal, and rushed out to try and investigate the source of the racket.

A notorious warthog sow, regular within the lodge grounds,
ran past me agitatedly searching for her sole piglet that had been accompanying
her over the previous 3 months. It became apparent after much frantic grunting,
that it was not returning, and had been caught by a predator. Sprinting through
the lodge to collect a vehicle, I aimed it in the direction of a small dam in
the front of the lodge, alas, this did not help, for as I drew adjacent to the
lodge, my staff alerted me to the fact that an injured leopard had just limped
through the bar and boma area, into the dry river bed running past front of the
lodge.

A Warthog photographed within the gardens at Idube

Vervet Monkey alarm calls over the next two days gave away
the presence of the feeding leopard, but the area that she had chosen to stay
hidden away, with her prize meal, made finding or seeing her impossible. Late
at dusk on the evening of the third day, Mambirri strolled to the lodge water
hole, quenched her thirst, and lay down. This was my chance to go and observe
if there were any lasting effects from the reported injury my staff had seen. I
had to take note of the earlier rumours about her being injured, and went to
investigate, only to see her right front paw, the self-same hindrance from her
youth, in a horrifying state, torn apart
down the middle, all the way from her wrist, with 2 toes flapping on either
side of the separation.

It seemed her previous wounds, and damaged paw had come back
to haunt her, and I could only guess that in an attempt to save her piglet, the
warthog sow had charged towards Mambirri, at which point, Mambirri had in all probability
endeavoured to slap away the advancing mother, which led to her receiving a razor
sharp tusk through her paw. The Ivory tusk would then have ripped out between
her toes.

Mambirri vanished in the time that it took me to return to
the lodge to get a vet dispatched via the Sabi Sand Wildtuin Management, and no
further action could be taken.

(A vet would have
been called, not to necessarily assist in reconstruction work on a wild animal,
but to remove an injured animal from an area where she posed a danger to staff
and guests alike. As the Lodge Manager, the liability of such an attack, and
responsibility that goes with it, made the call for a vet essential, and far
more than just an emotional one regarding personal feelings when dealing with
known animals.)

The following morning she was again within the lodge
grounds, behind the kitchen, and a leopard, especially and injured one, cannot
be left to wander around guests or staff. We contacted the state vet, and
wildlife managers from the Sabi Sands to come and dart her, to remove her from
the Lodge, and we trusted they would have assessed her condition and made the
difficult decisions regarding her possible treatment at that time.

Between me and a fellow ranger, we followed her the entire
day, as she slowly hobbled a total of about 300m, often losing her in the lush
greenery that would envelope her whenever she would sit or lie down. On two
occasions, with word that the vet was en-route, we could not find her in the
thick vegetation, which meant leaving the safety of the car, and walking in the
hope that she would raise herself up, and expose herself that we could continue
our pursuit. This happened, and twice she allowed me within 2m of her, before standing
up and slinking off. She knew she was weak, and I believe she knew we were
there to assist, and thus never displayed an ounce of aggression towards me.

The vet arrived, but regrettably, the dart used to
tranquillise her, never plunged when it penetrated her rump, and she disappeared
before we could get another dart into her. With the light fading, the operation
was postponed till we could again find her, if it was even needed. We had hoped
that she would survive, and perhaps heal, but were somewhat pessimistic about
the probabilities in her favour.

Mambirri in all her Splendour

Mambirri had been lost for two weeks, with no further indication
of her whereabouts, or chance to get a vet to dart her, when the Local Village of
Justicia notified the reserve that a leopard had been seen by residents, outside
the reserve boundary fence, and was posing a threat to the lives of the
inhabitants and their children. For over 2 weeks she was seen repeatedly, marauding
the chicken coups of the subsistence farmers in the village, decimating their
chicken and goat stocks, and posing a threat to the towns folk. Every time a
report was received, a team was sent to find the leopard in order for a vet to
come and dart her, to relocate her into the middle of the reserve, away from
local habitation. But, sadly, she evaded the teams time and time again.

On her last night, a report was generated and communicated
to the Sabi Sands Management that she had been seen charging at some people,
and the team again went out in a concerted effort to find her. They located her
within the reserve boundaries, and whilst waiting for a vet to arrive, she
again made an effort at entering the local village, by scaling the 2.5m
electric fence surrounding the Game Reserve.

Noting the severity of her injury, a decision was made that
she needed to be put down, before harming, or even killing a person, or further
jeopardising these people’s livelihoods by catching and destroying any more of
their poultry or live stock.

Whilst attempting to escape the reserve, her will and
determination was noted by the two man team from the reserve management, who
mentioned that she would crawl inside the electric fence strands, and climb
over the fence, wedged between the live wires that would be shocking her (enough
to deter Elephants and Rhinos, at 10 000 Volts) and the square mesh
fencing we call Bonnox. To endure the pain of such a shock is enough to send
any grown man falling like a felled log to the floor.

She was euthanized immediately, and her remains taken to the
hub of the Kruger National Park, Skukuza, where a post mortem was scheduled.

An immediate post mortem was conducted, and the results were
that she had severely dislocated and a few broken bones in her foot. Her foot
had, as had been observed, been split in two, with half of her toes hanging on
each side. The injuries were too severe for her to survive in the wild, and
thus she had resorted to raiding the village at nights to get food to survive.

Had we managed to get her darted the first day, we would not
have been able to do much for her, as her chances of survival would have been
zero, she would have had depleted mobility, no chance of chasing prey, no real
chance at protecting herself from rival predatory competition, and she would
have lost the ability and agility to climb trees, or protect her food source,
by usually hoisting it into the trees away from hyenas or lions.

Further damming internal complications were revealed in the
post mortem examination, which also supported the theory that she was not going
to survive much longer. Her stomach contained only chickens, a simple protein
source not sufficient for a wild leopards nutritional survival needs. More
alarmingly, she was in the final stage of liver failure, caused by her body
producing, and needing to process the unnaturally large amounts of adrenalin to
combat her constant pain. The Liver failure alone would have killed her within
days. Her adrenal glands and kidneys too were severely enlarged, and internal
organ failure here too was immanent.

I would like to think that her suffering was ended
mercifully, albeit unnaturally, and find solace in that fact. Her death comes
as a relief, rather than just a sense of loss and sadness to us that knew her.

Like tracks left in the sand, Mambirri left a mark on all those that ever saw her!

For many years, Photography has been a medium through which I have expressed my love and absolute dedication to the perfection of God's Creation – The African Wilderness.

The split second in which the shutter snaps open and shut, and the image is captured, simply does not reflect the complete experience!

Ever wondered what life must really be like at the Safari Lodges for those that live, work and breathe there? What and who allows the lodges to tick, and provide the guests with memories that last a lifetime?

Be it the anticipation of the sightings, the early mornings, late nights around the Boma fire and the drama of seeing life starting and then tragically ending?

The comedy of experiences, the adventure of mischievousness, the successes, failures, hardships and pleasures.

Follow me as I share with you a collection of tales, behind the scenes occurrences, and reveal the life that I have been blessed to have lived in my Classic Africa!

Who is Rudi

An Alumni of the prestigious Kearsney College in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Kwazulu Natal, Rudi Hulshof is based in the Jacaranda City, Pretoria.

Rudi has recently relocated from the famous Timbavati Private Game Reserve, adjacent to the world renowned Kruger National Park, where he most recently occupied the position of Reserve and General Manager of a Private Camp.

An amateur shutterbug, yet, already award winning and often published wildlife photographer, Rudi has used his 15 years of game lodge and hospitality Industry experience to fine tune an ever evolving passion, Nature and Wildlife Photography.

Along with sharing his experiences, in their full magnificence via photographs, Rudi has tapped into another love: Words and Writing, which has been described by some as “Having their own thoughts and imagination being stimulated like the painting of a canvas.”

Starting as a guide in 1998 in the Waterberg area of South Africa, Rudi quickly moved through the training ranks to attain the highest South African guiding qualification available by the end of 2000. From here, doors opened to various game reserves, including: the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Manyeleti, Welgevonden, Timbavati and the Kruger National Park where Rudi not only guided, but was appointed as General Manager of some of South Africa’s premier hotels and lodges.

Guiding has always been a passion, that, in conjunction with Photography, has kept Rudi motivated, and thus an inspiration to all of his guests, and peers alike.

Rudi has been described as a mentor to some of today’s most talented young up and coming, as well as established Wildlife Photographers, providing the motivation and tutorship in their Guiding, Communications and Photographic development.

Few people have been fortunate enough to live in the African wilderness, and Rudi never took this for granted, realising his potential to lead professional, informative, and educational tours to unlock the wonders of not only the big 5, ( Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos and Cape Buffalo )but also a myriad of lesser recognised members of both the animal and plant kingdoms, as well as a being able to passionately share a holistic appreciation of the environment, and country we are blessed to live in.

Years of observing, and absorbing behaviour of wildlife has enhanced Rudi’s abilities as a Wildlife Photographer.

The thousands of hours spent analysing behaviour has entrenched an almost magical ability to position himself, and his guests in a position to capture the anticipated image, long before it materialises. This understanding of behaviour has further ably assisted Rudi in capturing Award Winning Wildlife images.

Internationally recognised and published, some of Rudi’s proudest photographic achievements include having won awards for 2 consecutive years in Africa’s most prestigious Wildlife Photographic competition: the Getaway Fujifilm Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Added to this Rudi has featured prominently and been awarded more recently in Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, and in what is these days called the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year, considered the premier showcase of International Wildlife Photography.

Print publications include Promotional material for different Lodges and Travel companies, Travel based articles showcased on various online pages, featured both in local and international magazines, as well as advertising campaigns and billboard exposure.

A featured contributor to publishing companies, Rudi’s images also make appearances on various wildlife calendars.

First published in 2001, in Getaway Magazine, Rudi’s preferred medium for capturing images was, and to a degree still is, the Purist method: Slide Film rather than Digital. It took Rudi until 2007 to convert to Digital, but his Camera box still contains a trusty Minolta Maxxum 9, considered by many photographers as the finest 35mm Film SLR camera ever created.

Many of Rudi’s Published images are from the slides he has taken, predominantly using Fujifilm Velvia 50/100. Subsequently thousands of Rudi’s images have yet to be unveiled. These are now in the process of being scanned using a Nikon Coolscan 5000ED dedicated 35mm film scanner, and will be posted onto this profile in the near future.

Although the value of Digital far outweighs that of Film, to shoot a roll of film was to take a leap of faith. The digital evolution has eliminated a lot of uncertainty from the process, and that's probably a net gain -- especially if you're an amateur shutterbug. Unfortunately, some other, wonderful elements have disappeared as well: mystery, poetry and the element of chance.